The War has Ended
I saw you dancing through the twisted wire,
burnt out jeeps, bunkers, craters,
another girl gets caught in the crossfire;
the first sign of life for years.
I thought you went down a hundred times,
but when the gas cleared
with the ringing in my ears,
you were still skipping the line
between unexploded bombs
with blood on your lips
and sadness in your eyes,
but still a smile as big as a mushroom cloud.
What took you so long? I said,
making light of the loud
booming in my head.
But it wasn't what I thought,
because the war had ended...
Petulant Riskingham
